


Puzzle Pieces

by nerdybloomers



Series: 120 Drabble Challenge [15]
Category: Star Trek: Alternate Original Series (Movies)
Genre: Developing Relationship, Established Kirk Prime/Spock Prime, M/M, Oneshot, it's inexcusable that I've been writing for this long without writing spirk, one year post-Beyond
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-26
Updated: 2017-05-26
Packaged: 2018-11-05 00:37:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 940
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11002299
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdybloomers/pseuds/nerdybloomers
Summary: On the one year anniversary of Ambassador Spock's passing, the captain and first officer of the Enterprise visit Starfleet's monument to his memory to pay their respects, and question the nature of their relationship against their counterparts'.





	Puzzle Pieces

**Author's Note:**

> Seriously. I was raised by a pair of Trekkie parents, and it's taken me more than two damn decades to actually write some Spirk. I should be ashamed of myself.
> 
> Fulfills prompt 47: Memorial of my 120 Drabble Challenge, which can be found on my crusty old dA here: http://shibaayame.deviantart.com/art/120-Prompt-Challenge-250678524

On the one year anniversary of Ambassador Spock’s passing, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock find themselves standing above the plaque commemorating his service to Starfleet, shoulder to shoulder in amicable silence.

The location is nothing short of picturesque; a bench for meditation within a garden of reflection on the grounds of headquarters, overlooking the expanse of the San Francisco Bay. Any other day of the year, weather permitting, the garden would have at least a few souls - stressed officers and cadets alike - witnessing the sun drop into the ocean. Today, however, it seems that word has gotten around to think private thoughts elsewhere.

Kirk, to neither’s surprise, is the one to break the silence with a short cough to clear his throat. “I hear that they scattered his ashes on New Vulcan, but it’s very… nice of them to have put up a memorial here, too.” He gestured to the bay beyond the guard rail, growing golden ripples as sunset approached. “It’s a good spot. I think he would’ve loved it.”

“The location is aesthetically pleasing,” his stoic companion agreed, though he didn’t acknowledge his voice cracking on the last word. Just from a sideways glance, Kirk knew that being too on topic might upset Spock’s complicated feelings for his alternate future self, and cause them to bubble to the surface in a troubling manner for a Vulcan. It was safe to say that most people never had the chance to actually meet themselves somewhere other than their reflection. Spock had actually maintained contact with the elder Spock for their five years of overlap, if the  _ Enterprise _ ’s communications log was true.

What did Spock know?

If he knew anything,  _ anything  _ about the relationship between old Spock and his Jim, he sure was doing a fine Vulcan job of keeping it under wraps. To avoid too much influence, they’d once agreed.

Though, perhaps, now might be the time to peel those wraps back.

Feeling a little bolder than usual - which was saying something for the notoriously far-from-reticent captain - Jim took a step forward and spun on his heel to lean back on the chrome rail. “Y’know, Spock,” he started, looking off to the side at a rosebush planted a yard away, watching the leaves lift on the bay breeze. “Did… did Spock talk to you about his timeline at all?”

“To what degree are you referring?” Spock’s shoulders squared. “We had discussed technological advancements in a broad sense, so as not to alter the course of history more than it already had been-”

“No, I mean. Spock. About their crew.” Jim crossed his arms, then one ankle over the other, letting the bar behind him carry most of his weight. “Uhura’s short hair. Scotty’s whiskey gut. Sulu, fencing-”

And there’s the eyebrow uptick. “You are avoiding your main question. You mean to ask if I knew of the Ambassador’s friendship with Admiral Kirk.”

Jim snorted. “Friendship, sure,” he huffed under his breath. He voiced louder, “Nevermind,” before suddenly taking even greater interest in the rosebush than before.

Spock, on the other hand, simply continued to stare at his executive officer. The sinking sun backlit Jim’s dusty hair, saturated the command-gold edges of his shorebound uniform, and painted his shadow long on the garden path. He inhaled deeply. “I only know that which he had relayed to me in our correspondence. I understand that Ambassador Spock shared a mind meld with you six years ago, however. Logic dictates that you have that knowledge already.”

Jim rolled his eyes. If he were physically capable of rolling them further back, he would have. “I kinda had a lot going on at the time,” he hinted, with a bit of a smirk. Every time he got a chance to tease Spock for marooning him, he took it. “We were trying to focus on the task at hand. I only got bits and pieces of the puzzle. I was kinda hoping that you had the corner pieces.”

They locked eyes as silence filled in the gap between them. Seemingly sharing the thought, both moved towards each other at the same time, Spock’s fingers finding their destination on the necessary contact points on Jim’s face as they slipped into a meld. Warm tendrils started drawing conclusions between fragments of memory, as if pulling them together in a vibrant quilt that felt worn-in, well-used and homey - but not quite altogether home. Someone else’s home.

And then the thought washed over them both, as the sun finally dropped beyond the horizon beyond the bay, that while friendship was a good word, it wasn’t the right one.

Spock surfaced first, gently pulling his finger tips away, allowing his hands to settle instead on Jim’s shoulders. The captain, on the other hand, took a few moments to hone his focus before looking up at Spock, wide-eyed like a child. “That explains a lot.”

Spock nodded in agreement, his chin inching forward almost imperceptibly on the upswing. “I am inclined to believe that this epiphany will affect our friendship, Jim.”

A glimmering shock ran down Kirk’s spine and warmed him to the core. His ears heard his name, but his mind supplied foreign words in an undercurrent - _t’hy’la_ and _ashayam_ , implicit meanings bubbling through his conscious like champagne. It was hard not to feel giddy-drunk already. “I’m inclined to believe it already has.”

The pair thanked Ambassador Spock for his contributions to Starfleet, as well as their own lives, and then left the garden of reflection much the same way as they came - save for their fingers entwined for warm against the cold dusk wind, and their souls a little lighter.


End file.
